St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-17
The Exposure Of His Tactics
Leads Him to Take a Brief
Vacation.
Two Pegs Necessary to Fill
the Editorial Hole During
His Absence.
Evidence of Piepce'S Collision
With the Railroads.&c. He
an Employe?
Editor Jewell on Division
Caldwell's Funny Way Of
Dodging the Issue.

From the Globes Special Staff Contributor.
WATERFOWL, Sept. 15.-In some re-
spects we must consider it most lucky
thing that Editor Pierce, of the Pioneer
Press, has concluded to take his sum-
mer vacation just as he has. In last
weeks paper, over the signature of G.
A. F., he says that for few weeks
Gov. Pierce Che always calls him
self governor, and we don't know why'd
Will he gone in the East, and that the
paper Will be in charge of two compe-
tent and able men, one from north Da-
suppose that it takes about tTO Ordina-
ry "best men" to fill Editor Pierce's
place, and then it is doubtful whether
1t Will be filled or not. Now, who can
these two Dakota men be? We will
venture guess. The one from North
Dakota will probably be either the edi-
tor OF the Settler" a paper published
at Bismarck, or that iokeative editor of
the Fargo Argus, Maj. Edwards. 1t is
not unlikely that Maj. Edwards would
consent to help his friend ''Gil'' out
is not easy to decide who
is the chosen one, of all the great men
in that country. There is Caldwell.
Pierce's own man Friday, but he is
down at Omaha busy with the publica-
ton of the laws-at Gov. Church'S wish.
The most available man left is probably
Wheelock, of the Mitchell Republican.
and we should not be at all surprised if
it was Wheelock, who will furnish part
of the interesting matter for Gov.
Pierce's Dakota department for the next
few weeks.
AN IMPROVEMENT.
But we started with the statement that
it was in some respects lucky thing
that this state of affairs exists. 1t can
hardly be that Pierce has taken dose
of his own medicine that he has been
trying to fix up for other people and it
has knocked him out. No, we do not
| consider it lucky on this account that
Mr.. Pierce has concluded to take va
cation. 1t is lucky thing because it
| will give him time for reflection. Editor
Pierce found that he was getting
into pretty deep water, and it behooved
him to pull out" for rest. Personal
| journalism is all very well, when there
| is personality worth speaking of back
| of it, as in the case of the COurier-JOur-
nal. 1t is permissible for that paper to
publish the political sayings of its edi-
tor, Henry WattersOn, but with Gov.
Pierce it is different. People soon be-
come tired of hearing about what
STcdG Hall OOV. L IcICS 10, dCCOIuIuS w
his own story. They like personal jour
nalism, but they don't like SO much of
it about Gov. Church. They like well
enough to have Pierce for an editor, but
they don't like to have him use his de-
partment for working his own political
schemes and bringing himself and his
"good administration before the pub
lie. This is asking little too much of
their patience. He may be mistaken,
but we are of the opinion that Whee-
lock, of the Mitchell Republican;
wards, of the Fargo Argus, were
| getting little sick of Mr.. Pierce's kind
| of journalism. There was too much
about Pierce in it, and it told too much
about what big and good man Pierce
is, 1t was but natural for these editors
to be little jealous of Editor Pierce,
and for them to yearn to ''shut DOWN.
on him. They thought it about time
for Pierce to let up on his Pierce racket
little.
AN OTHER REASON.
And there is another reason, which
briefly alluded to last week. In attack
ing Gov. Church Editor Pierce has
shown most plainly where his sympa-
thies are. In this fight he has taken the
ground that railroad property cannot be
taxed like other property, and bases it
ON the gross earnings law. The admin
istrati0n took the ground that the taxa
ton of certain classes of railroad prop
erty does not conflict with the gross
earnings law, and that, if it
does, it can be established in
earnings law is unconstitutional. This
is the issue, stated as plainly as it is
possible for me to state it: Gov. Pierce
takes one position-that the railroads
can only be assessed under a law no
toriOusly passed for their benefit; and
Gov. Church takes another position,
directly opposed to that of Gov. Pierce's,
and says that railroads can and should
be taxed under the law, equally and
justly as other property. Which is the
correct position? They are diometri-
1t seems to me that it is not impossible
to get at the right of this matter. 1t
can be solved by answering one ques-
ton: What side does the railroad COM
panieS favor? 1t will not take an Ordi-
narily informed man long to decide this
question. AS soon as Auditor Wards
order went out to assess railroad prop
erty, not used for railroad pur-
poses, the same as any other
property, the. railroad and all their
| allied corporations commenced at once
to make their feelings known. The
order went out from the Northern Pa
cific Office-their property being the
most largely affected by the assessment
that they were Ito fight the admins
tratiOn."
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
1t meant that taxes were not to be
paid if they could be avoided. 1t is
convincing enough to know by which
method of taxation-Gov. Pierce's or
GOV. Church, railroads have to
pay into the treasury the most money.
Under the new ADMINISTRATION the rail-
roads pay their taxes according to their
gross earnings, but in addition to this,
pay taxes on vast amount of property,
that they held for speculative purposes
and not for railroad uses, and on this
they pay taxes just like other people.
Under Gov. Church's ruling, in short.
there is saved to the territory 100000
4 that is, there is this much money that
the railroads will pay each year, i'm adj
ditiOn 10 what they have paid before.
Does not this look like economy of the
right kind. too? But Gov. Pierce saws
no. Why is it that Gov. Pierce cannot
indOrSe what is so plainly benefit to
the territory? There are Just two ex-
plantations of Gov. Pierces position.
Lone is that he is a friend of the rail-
! roads-either in their employ, or else he
has been educated in the idea of helping
4 the corporations to become strong so
long that he cannot see and appreciate
i true reform. The second reason NAV